ISIS and the Absurdity of War in the Age of Twitter
Jessica Proett reviews Salar Abdoh's empirical novel set during the days when ISIS was running loose across Iraq and Syria.
Book Reviews
I was a French Muslim—Memories of an Algerian Freedom Fighter
Mischa Geracoulis reviews the memoir from Algerian freedom fighter Mokhtar Mokhtefi.
The Triumph of Love and the Palestinian Revolution
Fouad Mami reviews Susan Abulhawa's powerful new novel "Against the Loveless World," about Palestinians in a revolutionary mode.
Three North African Novels Dance Between Colonial & Postcolonial Worlds
BookFabulous' Rana Asfour delivers capsule reviews of three recent North African novels from Libya and Morocco.
Being Jewish and Muslim Together: Remembering Our Legacy
Joyce Zonana reviews two recent titles that reveal Jewish-Muslim connections and communities of the Arab world.
The Polyphony of a Syrian Refugee Speaks Volumes
Farah Abdessamad reviews Silence is a Sense, the new novel from Layla AlAmmar.
The Howling of the Dog: Adania Shibli’s “Minor Detail”
Layla AlAmmar takes us into the heart of Adania Shibli's literary thriller, where Palestinian lives are but a "minor detail."
Are Iranians—Restricted by the Trump Era Muslim-Country Ban—White?
Rebecca Allamey reviews "The Limits of Whiteness" by sociologist Neda Maghbouleh, who argues that a white American immigrant group has the transformative power to become brown.
An American in Istanbul Between Muslim and Christian Worlds
Anne-Marie O'Connor reviews the debut novel by Nektaria Anastasiadou, set in Istanbul's venerable Rum community.
Falastin, Sami Tamimi’s “Palestinian Modern”
N.A. Mansour reviews the tantalizing recipes in Sami Tamimi & Tara Wigley's new cookbook of Palestinian cuisine.
Egypt—Abandoned but not Forgotten
A Land Like You gives a palpable sense of a community that could not have imagined its own uprooting out of Egypt.
Salvaging the shipwreck of humanity in Amin Maalouf’s Adrift
Maalouf draws a line from pivotal years in Middle Eastern history to some of the most pressing dilemmas currently facing humanity.
Poetic Exploration of Illness Conveys Trauma
I am waiting for the Tunisian American writer Leila Chatti to tell me, in her own words, in her debut collection of poetry, Deluge, about women in Islam, but she is telling me about blood instead.
Algiers, the Black Panthers & the Revolution
While Elaine Mokhtefi worked devotedly for the Black Panthers, the men who ran it were, it turned out, deeply flawed.